Browse some recent Origin Reviews.
Scott Reeves - Portraits and Places
by Ric Bang, Jazz Scan
Great jazz orchestras are harder to find these days than the proverbial hen's tooth. The general public no longer desires to hear the music that made the Big Band years so fantastic, and established talents such as Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Stan Kenton and so many others. Groups like those are no longer cost-effective to work or tour with. Thankfully, a market still exists for the smaller... read more
Rodney Whitaker with the Christ Church Cranbrook Choir - Cranbrook Christmas Jazz
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
This is such a tour de force recording that it's hard to know where to start---and it shouldn't be enjoyed just around Christmas. The bass ace rounds up family and friends, brings in a Detroit crew that is tops at what they do, picks songs that play out the history of Christmas and play the whole thing is a most top shelf way. We need a lot more teachers like Whitaker out there and we need them in all subjects. Amazing stuff that makes it the... read more
Ben Patterson - Stretch
by Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move
5-STARS Ben Patterson's "Stretch" Blends Big Band Mastery With Modern Jazz Fusion Energy
The studio monitors glow as the first notes of Stretch begin to unfold, and almost immediately the room feels transformed. There is sunlight in this music, but also discipline, architecture and memory. The new album from Ben Patterson arrives with the confidence of a musician who has spent decades mastering both the language of jazz... read more
David Friesen Circle 3 Trio - Triple Exposure
by Hobart Taylor, KUCI - Irvine, CA
Bassist composer Friesen, Greg Gobel, pianist, and drummer, Charlie Doggett, play the most elegant of chamber jazz. The jazz trio, like the string quartet in classical music, is an ideal form for balance between solo and ensemble play. Friesen, long a recognized virtuoso, gently leads the tunes but does not overwhelm them. Check out "Rainbow Song" for a very special tour de force.... read more
Mark Taylor - Spectre
by Andrew Gilbert, Seattle Times
By taking his time and letting his music develop at its own pace, Mark Taylor has become one of the essential players on the Seattle jazz scene.
While steadily pursuing his own musical vision, the alto saxophonist has toiled fruitfully as a sideman, contributing to more than half a dozen excellent ensembles. From long-running institutions like the Jim Knapp Orchestra (which plays the first Monday of every month at the Seattle Drum School) to... read more
Dave Slonaker Big Band - Convergency
by Chris Spector, Midwest Record
When a commercial musician gets the chance to show us where his heart is, something special can really come out of it. A well decorated Hollywood studio rat finally comes out with his second album a decade later and this should be a fellow Grammy nominee as well. With players he's known for up to 40 years staffing this big band, his charts are immaculate, the playing impressive and the swing is undoubtable. Class, classy and classic, this big... read more
Mike Pope - The Parts You Keep
by Tom Haugen, Take Effect
The bassist, composer and engineer Mike Pope has enjoyed a 30+ year career, and here we're treated to originals and covers with an excellent band plus strings.
"Misgivings" opens the 9 track listen with Geoffrey Keezer's firm keys that suit Pope's playful bass and Nate Smith's fluid drums, and "Steeplechase" follows with Roxy Cross' animated sax prowess adding much to the frisky energy of the Charlie Parker tune.
Entering the middle,... read more
Richard Cole - Shade
by John Barron, All About Jazz.com
Shade, Saxophonist Richard Cole's third release for Origin Records, is a stellar production compiled from various sessions featuring trumpet legend Randy Brecker and a bevy of heavy hitters from the Pacific Northwest. The disc is chock-full of inspired solos, edgy compositions and inventive arranging.
Cole is an aggressive soloist who, much like his saxophone heroes John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, challenges the harmonic boundaries of each... read more
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